


Relationship Negotiation Workshop

by Pookaseraph



Series: CMUniverse [7]
Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Carnegie Mellon, Cuddling and Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Pittsburgh, Relationship Negotiation, Scars, Tony Stark You Are An Idiot, Wheelchairs, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-26
Updated: 2011-12-26
Packaged: 2017-10-28 04:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/303989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pookaseraph/pseuds/Pookaseraph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony freaks out, Erik doesn't, both of these are startlingly new concepts for Charles. Charles and Erik start to feel out the course of their future relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Relationship Negotiation Workshop

Charles was attempting to combat the huge jumble of emotions that he'd _never_ expected to find himself in on a random Friday night. Erik liked him, wanted to go out with him, and also was a fantastic kisser! In spite of how freaked out Tony had seemed, Charles couldn't quite resist taking a moment to just... breathe, sitting just outside his own door, thinking about how much his life had just changed. He tried to resist the urge to just spin his chair around and want to laugh. He did the spin, resisted the laugh, and just... breathed.

Damn he wanted to strip Erik naked and lick every inch of him.

He shook his head. Inappropriate thoughts for whatever comforting Tony needed. It didn't take him long to get down the hallway to Tony's dorm, tap softly on the door, and then wheel in. Tony was sitting on his bed, head in his hands, looking just as wrecked as Charles felt - but in the opposite direction, the sad, freaked out, terrified direction. Charles closed and locked the door and wheeled over to Tony.

"Did I just see what I think I just saw?" Tony asked. Leave it to him to be an emotional wreck but still focus on Charles' life.

"If what you saw was Erik straddling me on my chair and making out with me, then yes."

"...Wow..." Tony cleared his throat, and Charles settled in right next to the bed before hauling himself up to sit next to Tony. Tony had his arms around Charles in only a moment, and then Charles had his own arms wrapped around him a split second later.

Charles slowly ran his hands up and down Tony's back, let one hand settle on Tony's scalp and massage there gently while Tony just clung to him. Charles wasn't used to this Tony; of the two of them, Charles was the one who wore his heart on his sleeve, let his emotions sprawl out everywhere, allowed himself to get hurt over and over again, fell in love quickly, emoted passionately, and involved himself a bit too much with things that broke his heart. This Tony... this was a Tony that Charles hadn't really seen in ages, not since he'd woken up with Tony clinging to his hand saying 'please wake up' so many times he was almost hoarse.

"Tony?"

Tony nuzzled into his shoulder. "I didn't sleep with someone."

Charles' first thought was to laugh, because it was so ridiculous. He was _raw_ though, and as much as the idea that Tony would be sitting here panicking over not having sex was almost amusing, there was obviously more to it than that. Tony was a big boy, he could handle getting shot down. Not that it had ever happened in Charles' knowledge, but he was sure Tony could deal with that. "I think I need some back story, Tony."

"I met... a girl right before classes started." Charles nodded, although he hadn't heard any particulars, certainly he would have known if Tony was in the midst of one of his infatuations; as far as he knew, Tony had been sparing him any conquest details owing to his Erik infatuation, he doubted Tony had abstained entirely for an entire month at a new school. "We talked, got to know each other... a lot, I took her out to dinner tonight, a little dancing, a little hand holding..." Charles couldn't quite figure out why Tony was saying this like Charles was some priest at confession, as Charles had heard quite a bit more prurient descriptions of Tony's outings in his time as Tony's friend. "I took her home... Made out some..."

Charles frowned, slightly, apparently getting rejected was particularly hard for Tony.

"She went for belt and... you know... lower, and... I said no."

He blinked. Blinked again. "I'm... sure she... um..." He wasn't even certain what to say, which was new for him. "Was something wrong?"

"No!" Tony raked his fingers through his hair. "It was perfect! She was hot and adorable and brilliant and willing and I... choked up."

Charles pulled Tony closer and kissed his forehead. "I know you will find this hard to believe, Anthony Edward Stark, but sometimes people who find each other attractive manage to not sleep together at the first available opportunity."

"Why?! That seems like a complete waste!"

"Oh, I don't know..." Charles rubbed his hands along Tony's back more. "Some of us sort of get off on keeping someone around for more than a week or two."

Tony didn't seem to find that humorous, though, he just wrapped his arms tighter around Charles' waist and tugged him closer. "I do sort of like her..."

Charles' hands froze in their comforting trek across his best friend's back. Not a declaration of hotness, or even cuteness, just... _like_. From Tony that was rather profound. He hadn't seen or heard that level of emotion from Tony since... well... since That Day and everything that followed. He knew Tony, understood Tony, and when Tony said he was passionate about anything but robots, Charles, and fucking (generally one never to be combined with either of the others) there was something deeply and fundamentally different about him. "And... does that mean you'd like to keep her around for more than a week or two?"

"Yeah."

And finally the reason that Tony looked like a wreck over something as simple as not having sex all seemed to fall into place. "I think you're going to be fine, Tony, nothing fatal."

"But what do I do?!" Tony pulled back, the two of them shifting apart a bit. "I could buy her something... or make her a robot... or possibly take over a small country and rename it in her honor... or should it be a bigger country? The bigger the country the more impressive, right?"

Charles did laugh, finally, and grabbed Tony's wrists where he was flailing around looking like an idiot. "Let's start with the easy stuff, Tony. You tell her that you like her, that you respect her, and that you want to wait on anything more than making out because of those first two bullet points."

"Are you sure I can't just build her a rocket? That stuff sounds hard."

"Tony!" Charles whined shook his head.

"Alright. I can do that... maybe..." Tony's eyes were wild and confused and disturbed. "But you have to do your part, too!"

"What's my part?" Charles failed to see how he had any role in securing Tony's ultimate happiness with whatever girl was so amazing he didn't want to sleep with her right off.

"Oh..." Tony looked freaked out again, and very concerned. "Just... you know... you and Erik happy together, being disgustingly adorable. Everyone being very happy and content and not prone to violence."

Tony could be truly hilarious sometimes. "Alright. Are you going to be alright?" Tony nodded. "Because I can go back to my room, where Erik is likely waiting for me and... um..." Wow, he had Erik in his room... his eyes sort of glazed over for a moment.

"Yes! You should go make out with him more. It's Friday! Everyone should be very happy tomorrow, at home... Happy and well sexed!"

Charles shook his head. Even if it hadn't been Erik's first foray into a gay relationship, Charles had no intention of rushing them, making out would be more than sufficient at the moment. He and Erik would need more than a few hours of tentative groping before Charles was going to have The Talk. "Seriously, Tony. You're the one who thought I was being an idiot with all this non-communication with Erik, problem solved. You can talk to her about how you're feeling. I don't have to have a monopoly on your emotions."

"... I like you having a monopoly on my emotions. It's very easy and compartmentalized."

 _That_ was an issue for another day. "Are you going to tell her how you feel?"

"Monday."

"Monday?!" Well, he supposed he couldn't really judge, Tony could have the whole weekend to freak himself out and work himself up and possibly throw himself into work. Charles made a note to make sure that Tony hadn't buried himself in robot parts by Sunday evening and had taken a shower in time to actually see the girl again, because the last thing he needed was Tony's paramour to realize how very strange he was all in one go.

"I have to work myself up to it!" Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest and glowered slightly. "You took a whole day, I can take a weekend!"

"Fair enough."

"Now go back to making out. Erik is far too cranky. Good moods! Happy thoughts!"

"Your dedication to my boyfriend's emotional well-being is touching, Tony."

"I'm very thoughtful."

The two of them shared one final hug before Charles slipped back into his chair and headed back to his room, shaking his head in complete confusion and amusement. Tony was something else today. They would have to have breakfast tomorrow, or something, he knew Tony would be fine for the night but he really did need to unwind and realize that emotions were not the end of the world. When he got back to his room, Erik was sitting on his bed reading a book.

Erik was reading one of his books about having sex with someone with a spinal cord injury.

One of his _self annotated_ books about sex with someone with a spinal cord injury.

"How did you even know I _had_ that?"

Erik shoved the book under a pillow, looking like a kid who'd been caught stealing from the cookie jar. "In my defense, it's right on your shelf."

He chuckled, not quite sure what to make of Erik's... enthusiasm. He should probably just stick with flattered. "I hope you're not horribly offended if we don't get there tonight. I'm flattered you care enough to look, but..."

"No," Erik said quickly, waving his hands, and then stopping. "I mean..." He sighed. "I've only ever been with women, and that's always been with women who... um..."

"Weren't wheelchair users?"

Erik nodded. "So this isn't something I'm used to thinking about! But I want to, think about it, that is, and do it... when we both want." Erik was blushing bright scarlet now. "I'm not ready."

His life was apparently a comedy in parallels at the moment, so he rolled over to his bed and touched the only part of Erik he could reach - his knee - and rubbed it very softly. "Believe me, I understand. That's rule number one, you know, for a good relationship, open communication, honest assessment of how we're feeling. I'm usually much better at this but I was rather worried you'd take my interest poorly up until a few hours ago."

"I'm not going to take it poorly." Erik was a bundle of earnestness and it was very endearing.

"Yes, well that's obvious now." He leaned in and kissed Erik's knee before he rolled over to the bed properly. "If you give me your arm I can ease up a bit easier and we can talk a bit more." Erik reached out immediately, and Charles grabbed ahold and the two of them settled in, leaning up against Charles' wall, their legs outstretched in front of each other, fingers intertwined.

"I've had a crush on you since we met."

"Likewise."

"I'm... new to this."

Charles tugged Erik's hand over to his lap, even though he couldn't feel it, his fingers brushing over Erik's hand and just very gently touching. "But you are certain you want to try?"

"Absolutely." Erik nodded, then he leaned in and kissed Charles on the corner of his mouth, tender. "I'm sorry I can't be more... out. It's complicated at home."

"Erik... just like everything else, it's a personal decision. I'm not going to tell you how you should be with your family." It was certainly a bit easier to date someone who was more out, but Charles understood how complicated it could be, he doubted Erik would need to fear for his safety at home - although he didn't know for certain - but there was always more to it than that. "The only person in the world I would want to tell... interrupted us already once, and may very well do so again at some point in the future, so beyond that it is fine."

Erik smiled again, snorting. "Is he alright?"

"He seems to have caught a minor case of monogamy. I'm sure it will be alright."

"Just a minor case?"

"Too soon to tell, really." But then he bit his lip, smiling. "Did you really stay so we could discuss my best friend's personal foibles?"

"No." He leaned forward and kissed Charles soundly on the lips, doing most of the work so Charles could mostly remain resting against the wall. A few moments later he moved so he was straddling Charles' lap again, much like their earlier position. "Is this alright?"

Charles nodded and slowly ran his hands up Erik's chest, and then back down again. "Just watch you don't sit on my knees."

Erik looked behind himself, scooted forward a bit and then rested back on his haunches and Charles' thighs. "This is very nice. You're going to have to teach me some leg stretches, though!"

Charles laughed in response and ran his hands up Erik's thighs, feeling the muscles there. "A bit of yoga, perhaps. It never hurts to be flexible."

"So I've been reading," he answered. Erik leaned in, mouth pressed against Charles' throat again, just touching there softly, lips pressed against Charles' pulse point and nuzzling. "You..." Erik stopped, pulled away. "I'm so lucky."

Charles shook his head. "Luck has very little to do with it, Erik. You are an incredible human being; I find myself rather attracted to the entire package, sexy, thoughtful, rather geeky, intelligent, and irresistible." Charles found himself letting his eyes rake down Erik's chest, fingers brushing against the t-shirt there, sort of wishing they were off at the gym so he'd have an excuse to... "Did you strut around in the gym naked to try to turn me on?!"

Erik groaned, and possibly blushed, and buried his head in Charles' shoulder. "Did it work?"

"You are a very cruel man! Do you know how hard it is to _not_ look at you when you're strutting around like that?" His boyfriend was a goddamn tease!

That made Erik sit back again, face tentative. "You can look now."

"Oh, I intend to! Is that your idea of a seduction technique? Stand around naked and see who bites? God, your ass!" As as if to make his point he gave the aforementioned ass a squeeze and watched Erik wriggle slightly in his seat.

"You can't tell me the way you show off those arms isn't intentional! When I saw you in the gym weeks ago I wanted to... lick you, or something."

"We're hopeless," Charles laughed, hands raking over Erik's chest. "And to think I was trying to resist looking."

"Do you want me to...?" Erik awkwardly grabbed the hem of his shirt.

He most certainly did! "I do."

Erik reached out and fingered the top button of his shirt now. "Would you... um... let me look, too?"

He paused, feeling awkward. "I... can't say it would be as pleasing."

Erik frowned, but let the question pass before raising his arms over his head in silent permission and Charles carefully tugged up Erik's shirt before setting it aside on the bed. He was all hard lines and handsome, and Charles leaned back and ran his hands around Erik's waist and then hugged him, taking the opportunity to kiss him just between the pectorals. He was just so overwhelmingly male and...

"You are ridiculously handsome. You know that, right?" His voice was muffled from where his lips were pressed against Erik's chest.

"I had hoped you would notice." Erik took a deep breath. "I am attracted to you, Charles. I don't think anything is going to change that."

That would be delightfully simple, wouldn't it? He reached up and undid the button at his throat only for Erik to brush his fingers aside and slowly continue his work, one button, and then another. Erik frowned at the undershirt he was slowly revealing before he reached the bottom and slowly stripped Charles out of it and laid it aside on top of Erik's shirt. Erik spent a moment like that, fingers trailing over the white cotton undershirt, lips pressed to his throat. It made Charles feel... damn good, it had been far too long since he'd had this and far longer since he had been with someone he cared for half as much as Erik. Erik's fingers reached down to the hem of his shirt, fingers touching gently against his belly and Charles nodded, lifting his arms up.

Erik worked slowly, and Charles wished he could see Erik's face but his eyes were riveted to his stomach, eyes downcast, before he finally tugged the shirt over and set it aside as well. Erik's gaze was... hot, his eyes opened wide and his pupils dilated, raking over Charles' chest and making him feel a bit more naked than he actually was. Erik was... panting, his mouth open and his chest rising and falling in soft little heaves. "Perfection."

His fingers found the scars a moment later, they were fine, anymore, light white marks mostly on his left, below the ribs, barely more offensive than surgical scars. His back was pressed tightly to the wall, unwilling to peel himself away. Erik seemed more than content with that, the two of them letting their fingers lightly explore, Charles letting himself learn Erik's body, watching Erik look at him like a starving man eyeing a feast. It was heady to see exactly how much Erik's words seemed be the truth, how hungry he looked. It was impossible not to notice how Erik's body was responding to the display, and Charles wished he could have reciprocated, but... a thought for another time.

The two of them continued to touch, Charles' fingers playing with Erik's stomach, with his sides, up to touch his chest again, hands just trailing over every available inch while Erik did the same; it was mostly eyes raking over each other, although they both had fingers splayed everywhere. Erik's breath became even quicker, and Charles couldn't quite help but get turned on by it. Erik's raw... want was infectious.

"I..." Erik seemed to be having trouble with words, but his eyes were saying more than enough. "You... are so... um... I need to go masturbate or I'm going to come in my pants."

Charles banged his head against the wall. "You should go do that." That was very likely the hottest thing anyone had said to him, ever.

Erik slid off of Charles' lap awkwardly and rolled off the bed, equally tentatively, and then Charles couldn't help but grin at the short strides Erik took towards the bathroom.

"Erik?" He turned around. "Bedside table if you'd like, and... take your time."

Erik pulled open the drawer and absconded with Charles' hand lotion before slinking off into the bathroom. Charles shook his head and sighed, looking down his own body. "Not even a twitch? Your boyfriend is in the bathroom whacking off to visions of your pectorals." Because clearly this was his penis' fault. He stretched his back, then, feeling it start to tense up from the slightly awkward angle, so he shifted over to the head of bed, set up a few pillows like he might for reading - leaving one for Erik, similarly propped against the head of the bed. He thought about joining Erik's... indulgence, but Erik had taken his lotion and he knew the whole process could be slightly more laborious than a quick wank, so he decided to abstain.

He rested like that, against the head of his bed, eyes closed, fingers threaded over his stomach. Erik had apparently taken his request to take his time to heart, and he found himself wondering exactly how Erik was choosing to indulge, perhaps a slow, sensuous pace. The idea was very appealing.

Erik came back several minutes later, carefully putting away Charles lotion, smelling distinctly sexed. Charles patted the bed beside him and Erik crawled back up next to him. "You don't... um...?" He made a helpless sort of gesture towards Charles' crotch.

"Reflex only, I'm afraid." Erik frowned. "Do you know what they say about penises having a life of their own?"

Erik nodded, all blushes and bashful, and Charles kissed his jaw softly before he continued.

"Certain areas of the body have... reflexes, responses that do not require an intact spinal cord, I can get hard, and orgasm after a fashion, it's just not quite as easy as having something appealing to look at and taking it from there." Erik still looked awkward, however, and tentative. "I find you very appealing, Erik. I'm sorry I can't demonstrate it quite as... enticingly as you can."

"No, no, it's fine. As long as you like what you see." Erik didn't seem completely convinced, and Charles hoped it was only that; he would have been only too happy to be able to demonstrate by getting so easily wound up, but he couldn't.

"Very much, Erik. I'm quite taken with having you sprawling over my lap looking as delectable as you do." Erik took that hint easily, and went back to resting astride Charles' lap, and Charles went back to touching. "Please trust me on this, Erik. I am attracted to you, I find you exceptional and handsome, and I will tell you so as many times as you need to hear it. I want to be in a relationship with you and you wanting the same is... more than I had hoped for."

Erik nodded, and the doubt there seemed to be fading, at least, and Erik leaned forward, arms wrapping around Charles back. "Me too."

Erik's fingers massaged into his back, brushed down along his spine from his neck, and Charles could feel his fingers travel down until... he couldn't feel anymore. Oh. He knew that Erik would have been able to feel the slight furrow of scar tissue there, and he could feel Erik's fingers fan out, finding a few more of the smaller remnants of cuts on his back. He sighed.

"Would you let me see?"

Charles bit his lip, awkward in spite of how much Erik seemed to find nothing wrong. He pressed his fingers to Erik's chest again, and Erik climbed off and Charles slid down the bed onto his back. Erik asked a wordless question, hands near his legs, and Charles nodded; Erik tugged his legs out so he was laying out flat. He took a deep breath and rolled away from Erik, his back on display, old cuts, glass, metal, and surgical there for Erik to see. Erik's hand pressed against his back a moment later. "Can you lay on your belly?"

He rolled the rest of the way over, and Erik scooted down to sit near his hip, fingers rubbing over his back, some of the scars Charles could feel when Erik touched them, others he knew only by where he'd stopped feeling Erik's hands, but Erik visited each one, touching slowly before moving on to the next. It took several minutes, but Erik ended by leaning forward and pressing his lips to Charles' spine, above the cut, between his shoulder blades. "Thank you... for letting me see."

It wasn't a comfortable position, but Charles turned to face Erik and the other man sprawled out on the bed on his side, facing Charles, one arm tucked under his head as a pillow, the other resting on Charles' back. Charles blinked back tears.

"Would you... like to spend the night, Erik?"

"Sleep with you?" Erik's voice was warm and he was smiling madly, the humor was just enough that Charles knew that Erik meant it literally, not idiomatically.

"Yes, Erik, I would very much like to sleep with you."

The two of them descended into ridiculous laughter, complete with more kissing, and more making out, and a very serviceable quantity of snuggling.

**Author's Note:**

> OMG WTF, I can't seem to stop writing these at the moment.


End file.
